Can Bricklayers (BAC) locals vote online?

Can BAC locals vote online?

Short answer: It's up to the local's own constitution and bylaws, which need no prior approval but must be filed with the International within 15 days and conform to International rules (Art. VIII, Sec. B; 2025 Constitution). Electronic voting is written in only for International officer elections in exigent circumstances (Code 3, Sec. 11).

Verdict	Method left to local bylaws
Confidence	Medium
Last verified	21 October 2026

What the text says

How local officer elections are run

"Local Unions shall retain all authority not delegated in this Constitution to the International Union, to State or Provincial Conferences, or to District Councils."

— Art. VIII, Sec. A (Local Unions), p. 27

"The terms of all elected Local Union officials shall be three (3) years."

— Art. VIII, Sec. C, p. 28

"The Election Committee or Judge shall have the general responsibility to oversee the election process, including, without limitation, the mailing of notices, the counting of ballots, and the resolution of protests concerning the nominations and election."

— Art. VIII, Sec. M(3), p. 31

"Subject to prior approval by the IU Executive Board, Local Unions may conduct their election of delegates in conjunction with the election of Local Union officers or delegates to a District Council or State or Provincial Conference, provided that the election is conducted in accordance with procedures approved by the IU Executive Board"

— Code 2, Sec. 1 (Rules Governing the Election of Delegates to the IU Convention), p. 109-110

"The use of absentee ballots or a mail referendum for the election of delegates to the IU Convention shall be subject to prior approval by the IU Executive Board, which shall, upon approval, formulate and issue rules governing their use."

— Code 2, Sec. 2 (Absentee Ballots & Referendum Elections), p. 110

Electronic, internet, phone or remote voting

"If the IU Executive Board determines that an in-person election of IU Officers is not reasonably feasible due to exigent circumstances, the Convention delegates may elect the IU Officers via virtual/electronic election. The virtual election shall constitute a secret ballot election as required by Article XI and Section 3 of this Code 3, if, in addition to the other requirements of this Code as modified hereby, the following safeguards are present:"

— Code 3, Sec. 11 (Virtual Electronic Election - IU Officers at Convention), p. 127

"Each voter can vote only once and can verify that his or her vote has been cast; B. All votes remain anonymous; C. The election is observable and verifiable as to: (1) the eligibility of each voter;"

— Code 3, Sec. 11(A)-(C), p. 127

"The Board shall have the authority to conduct its business in meetings, by telephone, by electronic means or through any other form of communication."

— Art. XVI, Sec. A (Duties of the Executive Board), p. 60

International approval of local bylaws or election rules

"The Constitution and By-Laws and all actions of Local Unions shall be in conformity with the IU Constitution, all rules, regulations and Codes promulgated thereunder, and all decisions, rulings and orders issued by the IU Executive Board. If the Board concludes that a provision of the Local Constitution and By-Laws is inconsistent with IU law, that provision shall be of no force and effect."

— Art. VIII, Sec. B, p. 27

"all Locals shall forward to the IU Secretary-Treasurer their Constitution and By-Laws and any amendments thereto within fifteen (15) days of their adoption."

— Art. VIII, Sec. B, p. 27-28

"The Executive Board shall have the power to interpret the provisions of the IU Constitution. D. The Executive Board shall have the power to establish, promulgate and amend individual rules and regulations dealing with any matter within the International's purview."

— Art. XVI, Secs. C-D, p. 60

Contract ratification and strike votes

"The International Union shall not have the power to call Local Union strikes or to regulate their conduct, except that upon written application from one or more members of a Local, the IU Executive Board may make a Local strike an International strike if good cause is found for so doing"

— Art. VIII, Sec. G, p. 28-29

Open questions

The IU Constitution leaves local officer elections to each Local's Constitution and By-Laws (Art. VIII, Secs. A, M), which need not be pre-approved but must be filed within 15 days and conform to IU law, rules and Codes, and the IU Executive Board may void inconsistent provisions and issue rules on any matter; electronic voting is expressly provided only for IU officer elections by Convention delegates in exigent circumstances (Code 3, Sec. 11), and whether that implies anything for local elections is not stated.

Context

LMRDA (private-sector) union; the constitution also governs Canadian Local Unions, which the LMRDA does not reach.

The federal rules still apply

Federal law sits on top of every constitution. For unions covered by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), officer elections must meet Title IV's secret-ballot, notice and observer requirements however members vote. The Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) addresses remote electronic voting in its Compliance Tip Electing Union Officers Using Remote Electronic Voting Systems (updated December 10, 2024). The Tip describes safeguards for secrecy, observation and records, says it "does not offer unions safe harbor," and says each system is evaluated case by case. Federal-sector unions follow 29 CFR Part 458, which applies the same standards; postal unions are covered by the LMRDA. Locals made up entirely of state or local government employees are generally outside Title IV and follow state law and their own rules. OLMS Compliance Tip

Sources

Constitution, Rules of Order and Codes, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (OLMS attachment 'BAC 2025 Constitution_FINAL.pdf', 'Constitution, Bylaws and Other Attachments', filed with the LM-2 for 2025 by BRICKLAYERS AFL-CIO National Headquarters, OLMS file no. 000-034, received 2026-07-21; identical file (same MD5) also attached 2026-03-31 as attachment 74404) — As Amended at the 2025 Convention. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=75216&rptForm=attachment (accessed 2026-10-21)

Not verified: Obtained 2026-10-21 from the DOL OLMS OLPDR (BAC national HQ = file no. 000-034; constitution attachments: 2025 edition (75216 and 74404, identical), 2022 (65690 et al.), 2015 (9972), 2010 amendments (3315)). bacweb.org (Resources) checked by headless Chromium: no constitution, model local constitution or local election manual posted. The constitution specifies no method for contract ratification votes and leaves strike conduct to Locals, so no ratification verdict is given. Code 8, Sec. 4 governs ratification elections for affiliate Constitution and By-Laws, not contracts. Page numbers are printed page numbers (from running headers).

This page summarizes the published text of a union's governing documents. It is not legal advice and not an official interpretation by the union. Constitutions change at conventions, and locals' own bylaws matter. Confirm with your International and your counsel before changing how members vote. Spotted an error or a newer edition? Tell us at info@votem.com and we'll correct it.

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